Documenting the history of the movement that is encouraging Orlando Health to provide domestic partner benefits, create a diversity office and become culturally competent.
How many voices need to be heard for change to take place?
CLICK HERE AND SIGN THE PETITION TODAY!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

What Was Faxed to Doctors?

I've received the question - what was faxed to Orlando Health affiliated doctor offices?

Below is the copy of the single page fax that I sent to doctor's offices over the past couple days. Why this would inspire such hateful emails to me and stern voice messages only shows what is really under the surface in Central Florida in regard to inclusivity.

"Dear Orlando Health Affiliated Physician Group,

Since I’ve been blocked by Orlando Health to email you – I am sending you this second fax in what will be a series you will receive. In the last fax I shared with you why it is important for healthcare providers who are affiliated with Orlando Health to stand up and support the petition at www.tinyurl.com/ohdiversity encouraging Orlando Health to fall in line with true healthcare leaders like:

Yale-New Haven Hospital, Children’s Hospital Boston, Duke University Hospital, Rush University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Group Health Central Hospital, Bedford Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic and many more to among other things provide domestic partner benefits for their employees. It is just wrong that Orlando Health does not treat all employees the same. How can Orlando Health be on the forefront of healthcare without adhering to the principles outlined in the petition? The truth – they are not on the forefront of healthcare because of bias such as this.

“Increasing education and cultural awareness of diverse patient populations is critical to the health of our society and mandatory for any health care provider/organization. Our goal must be to facilitate the comfort of our patients as we provide the highest quality of care.”

Orlando Health Employee, Michael Cherry

“I am a team member of Orlando Health and while I am often proud of the work done here I am ashamed of the message this kind of bias sends out. This institutionalized bigotry flies in the face of the values that our caring work normally reflects. Institutionalized bigotry contributes to violence and strife in the workplace and the community. It is in direct opposition to the Orlando Health mission of promoting health in the community.”

Community Member and Healthcare Provider, Cynthia Grow

“Community providers, myself included, need to be vigilant by doing all we can to encourage companies and individual public servants to support EQUAL rights for ALL no matter what! Doing NOTHING or remaining SILENT regarding crucial company policies that would alleviate suffering or protect individual's and couples' rights means that your company CONDONES discrimination. SHAME on you, ORLANDO HEALTH. Step up and DO what's RIGHT!!”

About Orlando Health Diversity Initiative

I am a former Orlando Health team member and current donor in good standing with the organization. For over a year a group of Orlando Health team members, including myself have been encouraging Orlando Health to be more culturally competent. After presenting a formal proposal (which can be viewed as the first post on this blog) to the leadership of Orlando Health, nothing has happened.
So, I decided to start a petition (see second post on this blog) to gather voices in support of the proposal.
Here I post weekly videos 'showing' the growing support for the petition. This blog will end when Orlando Health has a fully functioning diversity/multicultural office, provides opportunities for its team members to meet and discuss diversity/multicultural issues, provides domestic partner health benefits to its team members, updates its team member and patient policies to be in line with true cultural competence and embraces the never ending work in this arena to better fulfill its mission.